Roaster Travels...Cup of Excellence, Nicaragua 2011
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Roaster Travels...Cup of Excellence, Nicaragua 2011 page 1 NOTES FROM THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY CUP OF also the diverseness present within the four main growing EXCELLENCE IN NICARAGUA regions of Nicaragua. This was a very big year for the Cup of Excellence in Nicaragua. It was the 10th anniversary of this competition taking place, and it was where the CoE all began. With its (the CoE) beginnings being talked about over dinner at a restaurant in Matagalpa, it was fitting this year’s compe- tition would take place there. With the importance of this event, there was a lot of media coverage, publicity, and events….All in the name of EXEMPLARY COFFEE!!! There were 17 people on the International Jury with 10 countries being represented: USA, Canada, Lithuania, Austria, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Japan, Korea, and Nicaragua. We all arrived in Matagalpa on Sunday. That evening there was a large welcoming ceremony and open- ing presentations for the week-long competition to come. The schedule started on Monday with three sessions of The Competition and the Coffees calibration cuppings, each followed by a discussion. These sessions are great because it helps the judges come There were 370 coffees submitted to the National Jury. together on the individual perimeters of what each score The Nat’l Jury narrowed it down to 60 coffees. These 60 means. Tuesday was the first day of competition. We had coffees were complex with wide ranges of aromas and three sessions of 10 coffees; 30 coffees total were evaluat- flavors: brown sugar, caramel apples, floral bergamot, ed. By the end of the day, one coffee was disqualified by and sweet cedar spice to comment on a few aromas. The a phenolic defect. Wednesday, the second day of competi- flavors were also vast. Fruit salads of mangos and peach- tion, was almost an exact replica of the day before…..with es, sweet strawberries to lemongrass, with velvety, and yes, a second coffee disqualified by a phenolic defect. sometimes creamy mouthfeels present. And finishes rang- ing from clove spice and molasses to delicate florals of tea On Thursday’s cupping, we cupped all of the coffees from rose and vanilla. As you can tell, I fancied these coffees. the first six sessions that scored an 84 or above. Eighty- Some of the diversities amongst the coffees that were four is the magic score that can pass a coffee into CoE noted were not only due to varietals or processing, but standards. With the 60 coffees we started with, 29 coffees page 2 would make it into this round. We then had another three sessions of cuppings for these coffees. Twenty-seven of these coffees ended up scoring an 84 or above again, so these are the ones we will see up for auction. On Fri- day we had one cupping session to rank the top ten. Out of the top ten ranked there was only one presidential award given (a score of 90 and above), and that went to the #1 coffee from the farm La Guadalupana (Napoleon and Miguel) with a score of 91.13 from Dipilto- Nueva Segovia region. A majority of the winners came out of this region…must be something in that soil. After cell construction, isolation, and many more sterile scientific steps, a coffee clone is the end product. This bo- tanical scientific discovery has shown positive characteris- tics such as more plant vigor, more coffee production, and some disease resistance. There are presently quite a few farmers growing these hybrids--El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras were a few countries noted. The “Meet the Producers” event is the beginning of the end of the competition week. This is where the cuppers have the opportunity to meet some of the farmers and ask any questions that they may have relative to the farmer’s coffee. It makes the Award Ceremony that much more precious when you have had the chance to connect with these folks face to face moments before. The Tours After getting all of this information, seeing clones in the making and greenhouses full of cloned coffee, we then Our first tour was a trip to “Atlantic.” Atlantic functions as went back to their cupping lab and cupped them. We a large dry mill and a coffee exporter, as well as a coffee cupped the original Ethiopian coffees in which the clones cultivation laboratory. The tour focused mainly on in vitro came from, and then we cupped the clones. Wow! The fertilization of coffee--for you scientists, “embryogenesis” coffees were about as different as different can get from or, quite plainly, coffee clones. They first started the pro- one another. It was a very interesting experience. If I may cess by taking a small coffee leaf sample (using traditional put a personal plug in here…I don’t know how I feel Ethiopian varietals) and placing it on a petri dish. about it all. It’s hard for farmers to pass up the possibility of producing coffee in one year (as opposed to 3-4 years) page 3 and also a possible increase of production by 20-40%, but with bio-digesters to supply gas energy. Also in their there are a lot of unknowns out there on this subject. future works is wind energy. The restaurant menu features everything in season for fruits and vegetables along with chocolate cake desserts highlighting their cacao with layers of canned fruit preserves. They have their own livestock for meat, eggs, and dairy…and not only chicken eggs but quail eggs too. They also make their own gour- met cheeses and cured meats that are sold in a few market places. There is a school on the property for the kids in the community, and the farm is very supportive and has scholarship programs for continuing education. In closing on SelvaNegra, I would love to try their coffee. All of the coffee they produce is sold to Allegro Coffee Roasters (Co.) and to their daughter who lives in Florida and has a small roastery. Occasionally some of their coffee may come available to wider audiences. I hope we catch that wave if it floats by. We also had a tour to “SelvaNegra” (Black Forest). Thip- lace is amazing. The SelvaNegra farm and way of life has been five generations in the making and is facilitated by Eddy and Mausi Kuhl. This sustainable farm and communi- ty comprises 1500 acres in the mountains. One-third of the farm is coffee, one-third is hiking trails through the nature reserve, and one-third is vegetables, fruit, and cacao. On And last but hardly least, I had the opportunity to visit the Limoncillo Farm and the Mierisch’s beneficio (mill). Erwin Mierisch, his wife Brenda and sister Elianna were our tour guides for the day. This is one of their four family farms and is considered the experimental farm. This farm was another slice of heaven that exists on earth. It seemed so harmonious with all of the different shade trees, fruit trees, waterfalls, and other plant life. And the Limoncil- the property surrounding the main lodge and restaurant are lo’s Pacamara Pulped Natural coffee that we were able to lagoons, cabana rentals, and a chapel up in the woods. You have this past year tasted even that much better to me. can even hear howler monkeys. Eddy and Mausi utilize most everything they can in order to be sustainable. They One of the experiments on the farm included grafting have both hydro and solar power on the property along of Robusta’s vigorous and large root system to Arabica shoots. We were also able to see the hybrid plants from “Atlan- tic” in the ground and full of coffee at one year old. Erwin had an interesting finding on this farm in the past year. In amongst his crop of red pacamaras, he discovered yellow cherries. This was a natural genetic mutation that happened, and it produced a yellow pacamara varietal. We had the opportunity to cup this coffee and it was excellent. He is now isolating this crop and will be processing it separately. The management of the farm seemed meticulous, as was noted while driving through and being able to see the successive pruning that happens every third year. At their beneficio, they are also experimenting with processing methods. They are producing fully washed coffees, pulped natural, and natural coffees. In closing, I can’t forget to mention the Café that was two blocks from our hotel--“Café Barista Due – Pasion Por El Café” was excellent. It is owned and ran by the 3rd place World Barista Champ from 2008. The finesse, technique, and consistency shown by the owner and all of his employees was truly a treat to watch. Almost every afternoon we would stop there and receive amazing espresso and see some latte art. I have lots of pictures and videos to share from this and all of the days’ experiences. Alison Chopp Green Bean Buyer & Roaster.